This Filipino Priest from Ermita is on the Road to Sainthood

(SPOT.ph) Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero came from one of Manila’s oldest families but shunned a private, professional life to serve God and the Church. The eldest son of Leon Ma. Guerrero, who was part of the Aguinaldo cabinet and the Malolos Congress, and who was an active member of a pro-independence political party that was a forerunner of the Nacionalistas in the 1900s, Cesar Maria would join the priesthood—against his father’s objections.

Cesar Maria would eventually serve as the first bishop of Lingayen, and then of San Fernando. In both, he was a reform-minded shepherd to his flock. He preached moral renewal, something much needed in those challenging times, and spoke out against frivolous lifestyles in Pampanga, coining the phrase “mucha sociedad, poca caridad” to criticize those living extravagantly while neglecting charitable work.

He worked to reform the parishes, emphasizing that a community member who had gone astray reflected a weakness in the community's leadership. He established the first seminaries in Pangasinan and Pampanga: Mary, Help of Christians in Lingayen and the Mother of Good Counsel in San Fernando, to cultivate a strong foundation of future priests. Bishop Cesar Maria also founded the Cruzada de Penitencia y Caridad to bring the grace of the Virgen de los Remedios to the troubled barangays of Pampanga infected by the Huks.

He aimed to lead by example and preferred to wear the humble robes of a Franciscan.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan officially initiated the “opening of the cause” for his beatification and canonization on March 27 at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Dagupan City. The Vatican has issued a “nihil obstat” (nothing in the way) from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, signaling that his cause can be started.

Currently, Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero is recognized as a "Servant of God," and people may invoke his intercession. If a miracle is confirmed through such prayers, he could be beatified and eventually canonized.

An accomplished scholar, Bishop Guerrero was the first Filipino to graduate from Rome’s Gregoriana University, founded by St. Ignatius. (Pro tip for those preparing for board exams in pharmacy, engineering, and dentistry this summer: Seek Cesar Ma Guerrero's intercession to help you hurdle the ordeal—or any of life's challenges in health, relationships, and peace of mind.)